The Admissions Committee requires a personal statement. In no more than three typed, double-spaced pages, please discuss your reasons for pursuing a legal education and your goals or future plans upon graduation. You may discuss any obstacles that you have overcome (for example, English is not your native language, discrimination, economic or family hardship, severe medical condition, etc.). If applying electronically, use an electronic attachment.

This section is optional.

Please attach any addendum you would like to include to be reviewed.

Please submit a current résumé with your application. Please include your significant work experience, educational history, college and community activities, and honors and awards you have received. Include dates for all items listed on your résumé. Please provide complete information; there is no required length and your résumé may exceed one page.

This section is optional.

If you answer yes to any of the Disciplinary Information questions, submit with your application a full statement of the relevant facts for all incidents. You may be required to furnish the College of Law with copies of all official documents explaining the final disposition of the proceedings.

1. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Applicants who respond in the affirmative to any question addressing character or fitness, including questions regarding criminal, academic, or conduct history, for admission to the College of Law are not automatically barred from admission, but are subject to additional review. All applications responding affirmatively to questions of character and fitness, including questions regarding criminal, academic, and conduct history, must be accompanied by a written explanation and current or final disposition of the proceeding. All official documentation explaining the current or final disposition of the proceedings may be requested at a later date. Have you ever been dropped, suspended, warned, placed on academic or disciplinary probation, disciplined (including dormitory infractions), expelled, or requested or advised to resign from any postsecondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school? You should disclose each instance, regardless of sanctions or outcomes, here or in the attachment section.

2. If yes explain, (maximum characters 4000)

3. Are you currently the subject of any criminal or disciplinary proceedings? You should disclose each instance, regardless of sanctions or outcomes, here or in the attachment section.

4. If yes explain, (maximum characters 4000)

5. Have you ever been arrested, detained or restrained, taken into custody, or accused formally or informally of a violation of law or ordinance (whether or not the record has been sealed or expunged)? You should disclose each instance, regardless of sanctions or outcomes, here or in the attachment section.

6. If yes explain, (maximum characters 4000)

7. Have you been arrested, charged, or convicted of driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs? You should disclose each instance, regardless of sanctions or outcomes, here or in the attachment section.

8. If yes, explain. (maximum characters 4000)

https://onestop.fiu.edu/_assets/forms/initial-residency-declaration.pdf

Instructions: Florida International University College of Law Admissions Application Procedure

Please read the following instructions carefully before completing the application.

To apply for admission, you must provide the following documents before the application deadline. Applications for admission will not be processed more than one year in advance of the date for which entrance is sought.

1. Application for Admission

The Application for Admission form must be accompanied by your $20 nonrefundable application fee, completed in full, and signed. Completed applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, beginning mid September/ early October. The deadline for submission of a completed application is June 30. Applications received or completed after this date will be considered as class space permits.

For scholarship and financial aid priority consideration applicants must submit their FAFSA application as well as their application for admission by February 15th, 2026.

To apply to the FIU College of Law:

• LSAC electronic applications - Visit LSAC.org and either sign on or create an account.
• Follow the links to retrieve our application from the list of all ABA-approved law schools.
• Supplemental documents may be attached to your LSAC application. If you need to submit additional electronic documentation after submitting your application, you may do so by e-mail to lawadmit@fiu.edu.
• For questions or problems with your account, please contact LSAC via e-mail at LSACinfo@LSAC.org or call (215) 968-1001.

2. Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Scores or GRE Scores

All Applicants seeking admission to FIU Law must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or GRE.

Admission Test Scores (LSAT) - Applicants can choose to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and register with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS). FIU College of Law will not accept LSAT scores earned prior to June 2021. Students must sit for the LSAT no later than June to be considered for admission in August of the same year.

Admission Test Scores (GRE) - Applicants sitting for the GRE, should select Florida International University College of Law as a recipient of the GRE results using the ETS School Code 4431. Please note it must be a valid score within the last 5 years. Students must sit for the GRE no later than June to be considered for admission in August of the same year. NOTE: The Admissions Committee will consider your highest GRE score, but will see all your reportable scores (Including the GRE and LSAT).

Applicants may submit either the LSAT or GRE as part of their application, but not both tests. If an applicant has an existing reportable LSAT score, a GRE score will not be considered in lieu of the existing LSAT. GRE scores may be utilized only when a reportable LSAT does not exist

Optional Test Score (JD Next) - Applicants are encouraged to supplement their LSAT or GRE score with their JD-Next course completion. FIU Law will consider successful completion of the JD-Next course as part of the law school?s holistic decision-making process. If you plan to include the JD-Next scores as a part of your application, please email us at lawadmit@fiu.edu to hold your application until the scores are received. You can learn more about JD-Next here: https://www.aspenpublishing.com/programs/jd-next

3. Official Transcripts

Official transcript from each undergraduate, graduate and professional school you attended must be sent directly to LSAC. All candidates must have been awarded a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year institution prior to enrollment at FIU Law. Prior to matriculation, admitted students must request that their undergraduate, graduate and professional schools submit a final official transcript to FIU Law?s Director of Admissions and to LSAC.

4. Academic Honors, Extracurricular Activities, and Work Experience

Applicants have the option of submitting a resume/curriculum vitae. Your resume/curriculum vitae should include examples of professional, academic, civic and extracurricular accomplishments (e.g. employment history, honors and awards, community service, extracurricular activities, foreign language proficiencies, military service, etc.).

5. Recommendations

Applicants may submit one letter of recommendation, and can submit an additional letter if they desire. We recommend that current college students or recent graduates submit an academic recommendation. Letters of recommendation should attest to the applicant?s character and preparedness for law school. FIU Law prefers that all letters of recommendation be submitted through LSAC.

6. Personal Statement

The Admissions Committee requires a personal statement. In no more than three typed, double-spaced pages, please discuss your reasons for pursuing a legal education and your goals or future plans upon graduation. You may discuss any obstacles that you have overcome (for example, English is not your native language, discrimination, economic or family hardship, severe medical condition, etc.).

6. Interviews

Interviews are not required for admission consideration and will not be factored into the Admissions Committee?s final decision regarding your application. However, FIU Law encourages you to visit our community. Individual appointments and group informational sessions are scheduled throughout the year. To schedule a visit, please complete the campus visit reservation HERE.

7. Transfer Students

Students attending an ABA accredited law school may apply for transfer to FIU Law if they are in good standing at their current institutions and their academic rank (if applicable) is in the upper-third of their first-year class. Transfer credit will not be awarded for correspondence courses or for work not done in residence at an ABA accredited law school.

Transfer applicants must also submit the following information:

• A letter of good standing from the Dean or Registrar of the current law school, including class rank (if applicable)
• An official law school transcript showing full first-year academic record
• A copy of the Credential Assembly Service or LSAT Law School Report on file at the current law school
• A personal statement articulating reasons for wanting to transfer to the FIU College of Law

8. International Candidates

International candidates must also comply with the following requirements:

Foreign transcripts must be submitted to the Credential Assembly Service of the Law School Admission Council for transcript authentication and evaluation. Candidates for whom English is not their first language must take the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL). Information on the TOEFL may be found at www.ets.org/toefl.Scores must be sent directly to the FIU College of law Office of Admissions. Candidates who receive a 159 LSAT score or better may request a waiver of the TOEFL examination from the Office of Admissions.

Note: No transfer credit will be granted for previously completed coursework

9. JD for Foreign Lawyers: JD with Advanced Standing

The FIU College of Law offers the possibility of advanced standing for students already holding a first degree in law from a country outside the United States. The JD with advanced standing program permits students to obtain credit for legal studies they have done elsewhere in the world. Students may receive up to 30 hours of credit towards the JD for prior legal studies in another country. If a maximum amount of credit is applied towards the JD at FIU, students may complete the degree in approximately two years of full-time study. Students with advanced standing may also be admitted to the part-time program, with mostly evening classes, and may complete their studies in as little as three years. Students may also receive credit towards the JD for coursework done completing a graduate degree in law, such as an LLM, here in the United States at an ABA-accredited law school. In any event, students must complete at least 59 credits in residence at FIU for an award of the JD.

The total amount of credit towards the JD is assessed on an individual basis by the Office of International and Graduate Studies, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College. The ABA Standards for the Approval of Law Schools govern advanced standing credit for applicants from foreign law schools. In general, coursework at the foreign law school must have been done ?in residence? at the law school and have been of satisfactory quality to apply to the graduation requirements of the foreign law school. Furthermore, the ABA Standards require that FIU College of Law is satisfied that the quality of the educational program at the foreign law school was at least equal to that of an ABA-approved school.

To Apply

• Transcripts from outside the United States must be submitted for evaluation and translation, if necessary, to the Credential Assembly Service of the Law School Admission Council for transcript authentication and evaluation. To become a candidate for the JD degree, students must have either a bachelor's degree from a US regionally-accredited institution or an equivalent degree from an international institution. This process will determine if your international degree satisfies this requirement. For the Credential Assembly Service of the Law School Admission Council, visithttp:// www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law-school/cas.
• All applicants for the JD with advanced standing must take the LSAT.
• Some applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL).Candidates for whom English is not their first language must take the TOEFL if their LSAT score is under 156. Candidates must request that scores be sent directly to the FIU Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Candidates who receive a score of 156 or higher on the LSAT may request a waiver of the TOEFL from the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Information on the TOEFL may be found at www.ets.org/toefl.

For additional information on foreign lawyers requesting advanced standing, please visit our website at http://law.fiu.edu.

10. Residency Classification

This form (available here) must be completed in full if you claim Florida residency for tuition purposes. If you have any questions about the form or its contents please contact the Office of Admissions at 305.348.8006. Please NOTE: residency status will be updated ONLY if the applicant is admitted.

Residency Classification will be processed once admitted to the program. Your file will be "out-of-state" while under review.

Checklist: Florida International University College of Law

Please be certain to submit the following items as part of your application. Missing items will delay processing.

• Completed and electronically signed application
• LSAT or GRE Score(s)
• Letter(s) of Recommendation (2)
• Resume/CV
• Personal statement
• Residency Classification Form
• $20 application fee

All materials and correspondence relating to admission or your College of Law application should be directed to the College of Law Office of Admissions. Once submitted, all materials become the property of the College of Law and will not be returned. Please keep a copy of your application for your records.